Propelling and braking means for traveling cranes and carriages



M. B. BENSON. 'PROPELHNG AND BRAKlNG MEANS FOR TRAVELING CRANES AND CARRIAGES.

APPLICATION FILED JULYH25 1919.

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Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I 2/ Wrppf z/ %Mp M. B. BENSON. PROPELLING AND BRAKING MEANS FOR TRAVELING CRANES AND CARRIAGES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25. m9.

' 1,366,352. Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITEn stares i fiiTEhlT GFFICE.

MELVIN B. BENSON. OF SUPERIOR, WESCONSIN.

PROPELLING AND BRAKING li'iEANS F012,

Specification of Letters Yatent.

TRAVELING CEANES AND CARRIAGES.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

Original application filed October 28, 1918, Serial No. 260,039. -llivided and this application filed July To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MnLviN B. Benson,- a citizen of the United States, residing at Superior, in the county of Douglas and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propelling and BrakingMeans for Traveling Cranes and Carriages, of which I do hereby declare the following to be a specification.

My invention relates to pro elling and braking means for traveling cranes and carriages, and hasfor its object the provision of simple and effective means for starting and stopping the movement of travel cranes or carriages upon their racks, roadways. It consists of the electric circuits, constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Certain claims forming part of the present application were originally included in my application for United States Letters Patent for propelling and braking mechanism for traveling cranes and carriages,

filed in the oflice of the Commissioner of Patents on October 28th, 1918, and numbered Serial Number 260,039, from which they were eliminated in compliance with a requirement by the Examiner for division.

in the drawings, Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a traveling crane, partly broken away and part y in diagram,

e ill) )ed with 111 said invention. Fi 2 is l o a diagrammatic plan viewof means embodymg my said invention. F1 3 1s a side elevation of a modified form or brake shoe within the scope of certain of my claims, and

Fig. 4 is an end view of said modified form.

In the drawings, 1 is a railway track; 2 is the frame of acrane, partly broken away; and 6 are trucks positioned on said tracks and upon which said frame is mounted. Said trucks and'frame may be of any suitable structure. Pivotally secured near one of its ends to said frame or one of said trucks is a brake lever 7, the opposite end of which is weighted in any suitable manner, as bya weight 7 suspenoed therefrom. At the pivoted end of said lever, a brake shoe 8 is secured thereto in any suitable manner, whlch shoe is adapted in operative position, as when the weighted end of said lever is in loweredjposition, to bear against Serial No, 313.306.

nected to said lever at any suitable point is.

a link or connecting rod 7 one end of which is connected to a piston rod 9 extending from an an. or brake cylinder 9. i he chamber in said cylinder below .the piston therein (not shown) communicates in any suitable manner or by any suitable means as by a pipe 9 with the pressure chamber of an air compressor 10 of any suitable structure, which air compressor is operated by an elec tric motor 11. It safety valve-9 is provided to limit the air pressure in pipe 9*. Said motor is included in an electric circuit comprising said motor, the wire 12 and 13, controller let, wires 15 and 16, and a generator 1?,which generator may be carried by said frame, or be distant therefrom. Said wires 12 and 13 are tapped by the wires 12 and 13 which are connected to normally open contacts l2 and 13 of an electric cat out switch or circuit closer. Adjacent to said contacts but insulated therefrom and from each other are contacts "2 and 13, which contacts 12 and 13 are in circuit through suitable connecting wires 12 and 13 with an electro magnet 18. Said contacts 12 and 13 are adapted to be brought into electric communication with the contacts 12 and 13" respectively by a Contact closer of any suitable construction adapted to be mechanically operated by the hereinafter described brakebcam, as will appear. Said wires 12 and 13 are tapped by wires 12 and 13 respectively which are connected to normally open contacts 12" and 13 adjacent to said magnet l8. 19 is an electric propelling motor of any suitable structure, which is geared to one of said trucks. The poles of said motor 19 are connected bv wires l9.and 19" with normally open contacts 19 and 19 ad- F mediate of the ends thereof, is a link 20,-

which link is connected at its opposite end to a circuit closer 20 which is adapted to be operated by said link, when said beam is in its operative or raised position, to establish electric communication between the contacts 12 and 12 and between the contacts 13 and 13".

In operation, the current from the generator being turned on at the controller, said current first passes through the compressor motor 11 which motor operates the com pressor 10, the air pressure passing to the cylinder 9 and raising the piston therein, thus drawing up the free end of the brakebeam and releasing the brake. The rising brake-beam by means of the link 20 and attached circuit closer, closes the circuit be tween contacts 12 and 12 and between 13" and 13, whereupon part of the current flows through the magnet 18, which operates the adjacent circuit closer 18 to close the circuit through contacts 12 and 19 and through contacts 13 and 19 whereupon part of the current flows through thewires 12 and 13 and 19 and 19 and propelling motor 19. The motor 11 continues to operate the compressor to furnish air for maintaining the brake-beam in its brake-retracting circuitclosing raised position. Upon the current being cut off at the controller, said motor 11 stops and the air leaks from the cylinder 9 permitting the weight 7 to draw the brakebeam down, thus applying the brake, and at the same time retracting the circuit closer between contacts 12 and 12' and between 13" and 13 The magnet 18 drops the circuit closer governed thereby, thus opening the circuit between said controller and motor 19 and preventing any flow of current to said motor 19 until said brake-beam shall have been raised again and the brake released.

If the trucks on transversely opposite sides of the vehicle are very far apart and propelling power is applied to only one of them, the other may have a tendency to lag, thus producing torsional strains in the frame. To avoid this I prefer in such case to provide a propelling motor for the transversely opposite truck, as the motor 21, the poles of which may be tapped on to said wires 19 and 19*, or, if desired, may instead terminate in the normally open contacts 22, 23 opposed to normally open contacts 22, 23 respectively which latter contacts may be connected by tap wires with said wires 12 and 13. In the latter case said wires 12 and 13 may be tapped to provide a current for an electric magnet 24 adapted to operate a circuit closer to close the circuit between contacts 22 and 22, and 23 and 23. Thus the propelling motors 19 and 21 at transversely opposite sides of the vehicle will start or stop simultaneously. In similar case, a brake-beam, weight, shoe and brake cylinder for retracting or lifting said beam may be provided at the transversely opposite side of said vehicle from the first referred to beam; said second brake cylinder being connected in any suitable manner with said air compressor, or with. a similar air compressor. In like manner brake mecha nism may be provided to individually govern the trucks at the opposite ends of the vehicle. If desired, the shaft of the motor 19 may be extended across the vehicle and geared to the opposite truck as well as to the one adjacent to said motor 19, in which case the motor 21 may be omitted.

'In Fig. 3 is shown a modified form of brake shoe adapted to engage the track rail instead of the truck wheel. In said modified form, said shoe comprises jaws 25 and 26 connected together near their lower ends by a tie-bar 27 pivoted thereto at its ends, which bar is pivotally secured intermediate of its ends to the lower end of a post 28 depending from said frame 2. The upper ends of said jaws are connected together b toggle bars 29 and 30 pivoted thereto at their outward ends and pivotally connected at their inner ends to the lower end of a link 31, the upper end of which link is pivotallv secured to said brake-beam at any suitabre point. Where said brake beam is in lowered position said jaws are adapted to straddle and grip one of the rails of said track. Upon the lifting of said beam said toggle bars draw the u per ends of said jaws together thus sprea ing the lower ends thereof and freeing them from said rail.

While I have described certain tap wires between the controller and certain translation devices, it is obvious that other wire arrangements may be made with equivalent electrical effect. It is also obvious that said construction may be modified in various details within the spirit and scope of certain of my claims.

What I claim is- 1. The combination with a vehicle, of an electric motor adapted to propel the same, a source of electricity, means for conducting electric current from said source to said motor, said means includin a normally open contact anda contact 0 oser," an electromagnet for operating said contact closer, means for conducting current from said source to said electroma et, said latter means including a norma ly. open contact and a contact closer, gravity operated means adapted in operation to retract said second when said gravity operated member is in ing brakeor drag upon said gravity oper- 1O lowered position to prevent the operation ated member during its movement from reof said contact closer, said latter meansbetracted to operative position.

ing adapted when said gravity operated In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my member is in raised or retracted position to signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

prevent the retraction of said contact closer, MELVIN B. BENSON. and means for retracting said gravity opvVitnessesz erated member, said retracting means being THOMAS J. JOYCE,

adapted when released to operate as a yield E. E. RINGDAHL. 

